Avs lock up EJ and he speaks; Colorado increases logjam on defense

Good morning. As soon as Erik Johnson’s four-year, (relatively inexpensive) $15-million contract with the Avalanche was announced, my (anticipated) first thought was, “now who will get traded?” The Avs have seven veteran D and three prized prospects under contract, and just one — Tyson Barrie — is listed as having a two-way deal (Stefan Elliott’s and Duncan Siemens’ entry-level contracts were not available but presumed to also be two-way deals).

Barring trades or injuries, the Avs right now will begin the season with Ryan O’Byrne, Jan Hejda, EJ, Shane O’Brien, Ryan Wilson, Greg Zanon and Matt Hunwick as their top seven D. The team often carried eight D last season, so Elliott or Barrie might stick, but it’s looking like Siemens — the No. 11 overall pick in 2011 — will begin his first full professional season in the American Hockey League.

Things could change quickly with a trade. I could see the Avs swapping out a stay-at-home defenseman or two for former University of Denver star Matt Carle, a unrestricted free agent with the Flyers, given that the Avs are short on puck-moving/power-play guys on the back end IF Elliott and Barrie are in Lake Erie. Carle has deep roots in Denver, although his younger brother just left DU for a USHL coaching job in Green Bay.

UPDATE: Here’s EJ talking about the current depth:

“Every team I’ve been on it seems we’ve been decimated by injuries on defensemen and, as the saying goes, you can never have too many defensemen. So I think what management has done is excellent. When you have depth like that it creates internal competition amongst all the defensemen and that brings up the level of play even more. I think it’s a great thing and I know it’s going to be a tough competition for ice time come training camp and I’m excited about it.”

EJ’s signing reunites last season’s eight-man D-corps (minus the traded Kyle Quincey and the addition of FA Zanon). “It’s a great group, and not just on defense. Everybody is tight from the goalies on out. That’s typically what happens with a young team. It’s like a brotherhood and we like to hang out with each other and play with each other, and that’s one of the reason why I wanted to sign a deal with a little bit of term on it. I want to grow with these guys.”